Bill Clinton to fly flag for Obama

2 hours ago

Former US president Bill Clinton will support presidential hopeful Barack Obama in his own words after his wife urged Democrats to "unite as a single party with a single purpose".

In a rousing prime time address at the party's national convention in Denver, Colorado, a passionate Hillary Clinton declared: "Barack Obama is my candidate and he must be our president."

But her husband, who will vie with Mr Obama's vice presidential nominee Joe Biden for top billing, chose not to join her and their daughter Chelsea on stage.

His speech is expected to be less effusive, and his support more qualified, after Mr Obama beat his wife in an often bitter 16-month primary season which saw his own reputation tainted.

Joe Lockhart, the White House press secretary during Mr Clinton's administration, said: "He's going to come here and make a compelling case for why this election's important, why the stakes are so high, and why the choices are so clear.

"I think at the end of his speech it will be very clear that his first commitment between now and election day is making sure that Barack Obama is the president and that John McCain and the sort of warmed-over George Bush Republican philosophy is not."

Tensions between the Clinton and Obama camps remain, partly because Mr Clinton is reported to be furious at suggestions that he played the race card during the primary season as Mr Obama sought to become America's first black president.

Aides said he was also disappointed that he would be making his speech on a night themed "Securing America's Future", instead of on the American economy and the success of his presidency.

But Mr Obama, keen to publicly diffuse any tension, told reporters that Mr Clinton would be able to talk about anything he wanted to.

"Bill Clinton knows a little bit about trying to yank the economy out of the doldrums," Mr Obama, 47, said.